North County Times (California, USA)
FALLBROOK -- Instead of struggling to get by on the streets, five boys in Cambodia recently became the first of several children to benefit from an orphanage built with donations and direction from Calvary Chapel in Fallbrook, church officials said recently.
Last week, the boys were moved into A Greater Hope Orphanage in the Cambodian province of Takeo. The structure was completed in August and dedicated in September, Calvary Chapel's Senior Pastor Patrick Herrell said.
Five girls are expected to move into the church-run orphanage in the weeks to come, he added.
Plans to provide educational instruction to the children are being considered on a wait-and-see basis, Herrell said.
In all, the church spent about $77,000 on the project --- including $70,000 for the construction and related costs, and about $7,000 to buy the 3-acre property, according to Herrell.
"This orphanage will house 40 to 50 kids," Herrell said. "But honestly, this is just a drop in the bucket towards the need.
"We're talking thousands, maybe even millions, of kids who are on their own and fending for themselves for day-to-day survival," he added.
Herrell said that many children in Cambodia are abandoned because their parents can't afford to feed them.
Church leaders expect to have the orphanage at maximum capacity in a year, after adding children little by little, Herrell said.
While a majority of the Cambodian population practices Buddhism, about 12 percent of the population of Takeo province practices Christianity, according to Herrell.
Herrell said the children who come to the orphanage are not forced to convert to Christianity.
"Their religion is not the issue," the pastor also said. "We're there to address the needs of that nation in regards to the children without homes and without families."
The project stemmed from the church's desire to perform an overseas outreach program. Building an orphanage in Cambodia was one suggestion, along with other missionary work in places such as China, Ireland and parts of Central America.
Herrell said that in 2004 he asked the roughly 400-member Fallbrook congregation to pray for guidance on which outreach project to pursue.
Within three months, church members had donated a total of $25,000 and voiced support for the idea of the orphanage in Cambodia. Within a year, there was enough money contributed to cover 80 percent of the construction costs.
"God just moved upon the hearts of these people and the checks came in," the pastor said. "I'm continually surprised and blessed by their hearts for giving."
Glenn De Jong, who has attended Calvary Chapel Fallbrook for four years, said he didn't have to think twice about whether the Cambodian orphanage was the right project, or whether to donate to the cause.
"When I am able to donate to a cause like this, and I know it will benefit someone in need because people I trust looked into it, there's no question," De Jong, 51, of Fallbrook. "The orphanage will give these children a chance to have a good life, and that gives me so much joy to be a part of something like that."
For more information about A Greater Hope Orphanage, or to learn about other endeavors of Calvary Chapel Fallbrook, call the church at (760) 728-9138.
-- Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (760) 731-5798 or lfleming@nctimes.com.
Last week, the boys were moved into A Greater Hope Orphanage in the Cambodian province of Takeo. The structure was completed in August and dedicated in September, Calvary Chapel's Senior Pastor Patrick Herrell said.
Five girls are expected to move into the church-run orphanage in the weeks to come, he added.
Plans to provide educational instruction to the children are being considered on a wait-and-see basis, Herrell said.
In all, the church spent about $77,000 on the project --- including $70,000 for the construction and related costs, and about $7,000 to buy the 3-acre property, according to Herrell.
"This orphanage will house 40 to 50 kids," Herrell said. "But honestly, this is just a drop in the bucket towards the need.
"We're talking thousands, maybe even millions, of kids who are on their own and fending for themselves for day-to-day survival," he added.
Herrell said that many children in Cambodia are abandoned because their parents can't afford to feed them.
Church leaders expect to have the orphanage at maximum capacity in a year, after adding children little by little, Herrell said.
While a majority of the Cambodian population practices Buddhism, about 12 percent of the population of Takeo province practices Christianity, according to Herrell.
Herrell said the children who come to the orphanage are not forced to convert to Christianity.
"Their religion is not the issue," the pastor also said. "We're there to address the needs of that nation in regards to the children without homes and without families."
The project stemmed from the church's desire to perform an overseas outreach program. Building an orphanage in Cambodia was one suggestion, along with other missionary work in places such as China, Ireland and parts of Central America.
Herrell said that in 2004 he asked the roughly 400-member Fallbrook congregation to pray for guidance on which outreach project to pursue.
Within three months, church members had donated a total of $25,000 and voiced support for the idea of the orphanage in Cambodia. Within a year, there was enough money contributed to cover 80 percent of the construction costs.
"God just moved upon the hearts of these people and the checks came in," the pastor said. "I'm continually surprised and blessed by their hearts for giving."
Glenn De Jong, who has attended Calvary Chapel Fallbrook for four years, said he didn't have to think twice about whether the Cambodian orphanage was the right project, or whether to donate to the cause.
"When I am able to donate to a cause like this, and I know it will benefit someone in need because people I trust looked into it, there's no question," De Jong, 51, of Fallbrook. "The orphanage will give these children a chance to have a good life, and that gives me so much joy to be a part of something like that."
For more information about A Greater Hope Orphanage, or to learn about other endeavors of Calvary Chapel Fallbrook, call the church at (760) 728-9138.
-- Contact staff writer Lorell Fleming at (760) 731-5798 or lfleming@nctimes.com.
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